


hyunjin's body

by shibecafe



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - High School, I am so sorry for this, Jennifer's body au, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-01-02 09:14:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21159209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shibecafe/pseuds/shibecafe
Summary: This is the norm for a highschool student’s life: Classes are a drag. People are coming and going at a fast pace all the time. The tides of life are changing and shifting as one grows older - and rather debatably wiser. There are few things in Kim Seungmin’s life that remain solid and unchanging.These are the unchanging facts: Hyunjin is popular. Hyunjin is beautiful. Hyunjin is loved by everyone, and for good reason.These are also the unchanging facts: Seungmin is popular, but only by association. Seungmin is cute, but no one notices it because he’s always with Hyunjin. Seungmin is in the top 3 of his class, academically, at any given time.





	hyunjin's body

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! this is loosely based on jennifer's body! I recommend watching that movie if you haven't already, it's gloriously gorey and dumb!!! this fic is also... a product of much procrastination and stress. this fic killed me. i never want to think about it again. i didn't even beta this because i am disgusting. please enjoy it regardless! 
> 
> p.s thank you to the stray kids fright fest mods for organising this fest! despite stressing over this and cramming a lot of writing into the days before the deadline, i had a lot of fun with this!!
> 
> playlists: [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65bV5XuYYa1V6zRTMSfdUT?si=c30-4wS4SeyIBkthG9s_pQ) for a more upbeat playlist, and [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mGqJVZkryaC7Hqupq0utC?si=dGwLlAonTcSeETntwscwsQ) for a darker one! 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS IN CASE YOU DIDN'T CHECK THE WARNINGS: major character death, graphic depictions of violence. do not read this if those things trigger you!!!

This is the norm for a highschool student’s life: Classes are a drag. People are coming and going at a fast pace all the time. The tides of life are changing and shifting as one grows older - and rather debatably wiser. There are few things in Kim Seungmin’s life that remain solid and unchanging. 

These are the unchanging facts: Hyunjin is popular. Hyunjin is beautiful. Hyunjin is loved by everyone, and for good reason.

These are also the unchanging facts: Seungmin is popular, but only by association. Seungmin is cute, but no one notices it because he’s always with Hyunjin. Seungmin is in the top 3 of his class, academically, at any given time.

For all intents and purposes, Seungmin is part of the cool kids crowd, no matter how much he detests the toxicity of high school cliques. Jeongin laughs at him when he complains during their tutoring sessions. There’s really no end to the teasing that Jeongin foists upon Seungmin, but honestly Seungmin doesn’t mind. Jeongin’s a good kid, and is probably Seungmin’s closest friend after Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin comes first though. The two of them have been friends since they were in primary school, playing in the sandbox and trading lunches on the playground.

“Seungmin,” Hyunjin had said, staring intently at Seungmin. Seungmin had put his Pokemon cards down and stared back just as intently. “You’re gonna be my best friend forever, right?” 

Nodding, Seungmin picked his cards up again. “Of course. Best friends forever and ever.” 

Of course, they’re still best friends now. Living in a small town like they do, there aren’t  _ that  _ many other options for best friends, not that Seungmin would trade Hyunjin for anyone anyway. They share half of their classes, stuck at the hip. A buy one, get one free deal. It’s impossible to be friends with Hyunjin without also being friends with Seungmin, and that’s just how it’s always been.

That’s why it isn’t odd when with any invitations Hyunjin gets, Seungmin is also extended one. 

“Hey, Hyunjin, Seungmin!” Jangjun, a senior that Seungmin has spoken to but isn’t close to by any means, bounces up to them as they get their books out of their lockers. “There’s a concert at the Grove tonight. A group of trainees from some bigshot company, here in our little corner of town. Come by and see them, okay?” He runs off without even waiting for a response from the two of them. 

Everyone in the school is used to Jangjun flitting around and asking them to go to various parties or concerts. Hyunjin laughs while Seungmin just sighs. “We should totally go,” Hyunjin nudges Seungmin. “It could be fun.” 

Seungmin can’t help but stare disbelievingly at him.”You say that every time and these things never end up being fun at all.”

“Come on,” Hyunjin pouts. “For me?” 

He’s only insisting to be annoying. He never pressures Seungmin to go anywhere he really doesn’t want to go. “Let me think about it.” Seungmin shifts his books in his arms, freeing one to push back his bangs.

Hyunjin cheers. “That’s good enough for me.” He slings an arm around Seungmin’s shoulders, tugging him towards chemistry.

-

Unsurprisingly, Seungmin ends up going with Hyunjin to the Grove that night. The Grove is a dingy little bar in their town, one that’s lax about letting kids in since they don’t serve a lot of alcohol. The guy that stands at the door - Seungmin is loathe to call him a bouncer, because he isn’t really - waves the two of them in when Hyunjin shoots him a smile. 

Hyunjin is popular with everyone in the town, of course. 

Students from their school are loitering in every corner, some sat at the bar stools sipping from cans of soft drink, some chattering away in front of the little stage that sits at the back of the building. 

A warm hand circles Seungmin’s wrist gently, tugging him towards the stage. “I asked around,” Hyunjin says, leaning closer to to Seungmin than is strictly necessary. Seungmin doesn’t move away. “The group is called 3Racha. They’re under JYP, or so I heard from the gossip pools.” 

“You can’t believe everything you read in your dance troupe group chat, Hyunjin.” Seungmin pulls his phone out and sighs at the big  _ 9:07  _ on his screen. His curfew is at 11:30.

As time creeps towards 9:45, Seungmin starts to fidget in earnest. He and Hyunjin have settled at one of the tables close to the stage, watching some people dash around the back of the room. His anxiety starts to calm when Hyunjin’s chatter moves onto whatever movie he plans to force Seungmin to watch on the weekend. 

The room quiets down when three guys climb onto the stage, microphones in their hands. 

“Hey,” The guy in the center says, eyes sharply surveying the room. “We’re 3Racha, and this is Alchemistry.” 

It’s definitely not anything Seungmin would usually listen to, but he’s willing to admit that it’s  _ good _ . The rappers voices sound good together, matching well with the beat. Hyunjin is nodding along, smiling at the stage with a glint in his eye that Seungmin usually only sees when they’re alone, or when Hyunjin is dancing. 

Instead of focusing on the music, Seungmin watches Hyunjin get absorbed into the music. Hyunjin shoots these occasional blinding smiles his way, lights casting shadows from his eyelashes onto his cheekbones. Seungmin feels dazzled. 

He thinks he can feel a piercing stare pointing in their direction, but Seungmin is way too engrossed in Hyunjin to really think about it in any way other than brief acknowledgement. If he were to put anymore thought into it, it’d probably just be some girls from their school staring at Hyunjin, as they normally do. 

The night starts to wind down after a while. Seungmin starts to lose his last remaining bits of energy, leaning towards Hyunjin more and more as his eyes start to droop. The crowd thins after 3Racha finish their set, but Hyunjin pulls Seungmin over to the stage. 

He leans down to whisper into Seingmin’s ear. “I know you’re tired, but I just want to talk to them for a second, then we can go back to yours.” Seungmin just nods tiredly. 

“Hey!” Hyunjin’s voice carries in the mostly empty bar. 

Seungmin tunes out everything in favour of looking at his phone. 11:10. He glances up to see the leader leaning into Hyunjin’s space, and subsequently Seungmin’s space too, considering how close the two of them are standing.

“Bang Chan. Nice to meet you.” The guys has a sleazy smile on his face, making Seungmin’s skin crawl and fight or flight instincts kick in. His heart is jackhammering in his ribcage, so fast that Seungmin thinks it might burst right out of his ribcage. 

“Hwang Hyunjin, and this is Kim Seungmin.” Anxiously, Seungmin pinches Hyunjin in punishment for telling this random guy their names. “You guys were really good tonight.” 

The two other members of the trio creep over, flanking their leader. “Thanks! I’m Jisung,” The mousy one says, eyes bright, bordering on the manic side of excited. His companion stays silent, dark eyes vacant and unfathomable. “Hey, you’re cute. Do you know how to perform?” 

Red flags keep popping up for Seungmin the more they talk. He tries to tug Hyunjin away, but his friend just locks their fingers together and pulls Seungmin into his side. There’s something in Hyunjin’s eyes; excited and intrigued, curious and willing to talk to these strange artists from a big city. 

“I dance, a bit. And Seungminnie here sings.” 

Bang Chan and his friend glance at each other and nod. “Wanna come meet our manager? I’m sure he’d give you a card for our company. Your little friend can come too.” Jisung’s smile is sharp, dangerous in a way that Seungmin can’t pinpoint. Kill Bill sirens are going off in his head. His ears are ringing. His watch says  _ 11:15 _ . 

He does  _ not  _ trust these guys at all. “Hyunjin, don’t,” He says quietly, tugging on Hyunjin’s sleeve with more force. Hyunjin smiles tightly at him. 

“I’ll only be a second, promise.” He untangles Seungmin’s fingers from his sleeve and gestures for the rappers to lead the way. Seungmin can’t help but look on in dismay. Hyunjin isn’t normally like this; he’s normally more aware of things going inexplicably  _ wrong _ . 

Stressed, Seungmin looks at his watch again. It’s 11:17 and it takes 10 minutes to get back to his house on foot. 

He decides to give Hyunjin 3 minutes. 3 minutes until he leaves him, no matter how much the idea irks him. He can’t stretch curfew again, not after how he pushed it by 45 minutes last week when he and Hyunjin lost track of time at karaoke after cram school. 

The seconds seem to pass like hours. His leg jitters to the beat of the song playing quietly under the humm of conversation. The bartender - who used to go to their school - pushes a glass of water over the counter to him. Seungmin drinks a little, but feels too sick to continue. 

He glances at the door that the rappers led Hyunjin through. It’s shut tightly, and Seungmin was unfortunately not blessed with x-ray vision, no matter how helpful that would be right now. 

As soon as his watch hits 11:19, he pulls out his phone and shoots a quick apology to Hyunjin over Katalk. With a grimace, he pushes the front door open and slips out into the street. It’s terrifyingly quiet at this time of night, so Seungmin rushes home. 

A journey that would normally take ten minutes only takes 5 with his speed walking and occasional running. His watch ticks over to 11:26 just as he steps in the door. His shoulders feel oddly tense as he greets his mother in her room and his father in his study. His sister isn’t home, so he doesn’t bother going by her room. 

Distractedly, he showers the sticky feeling of the night off his skin, shuddering at the memory of the rappers. He wonders if Hyunjin has gotten home yet. He’ll text him when he’s done. 

The water drips into Seungmin’s eyes as he stands there, staring at the wall blankly. He can’t help but feel a shuddering sense of wrongness that runs down his spine like a set of sharp claws. He shouldn’t have left Hyunjni there alone.

_ DON’T THINK ABOUT IT,  _ runs though his head like a litany, or a prayer. 

Even when he crawls into bed, exhausted and heavy, the phrase is still whirring around in his head. He sends Hyunjin a short message, asking if he got home safe and telling him to come to his place in the morning for breakfast, before turning his phone screen down onto his bedside table.

Falling asleep is really hard that night. 

-

Frantic tapping at his window makes Seungmin struggle awake. The sky is a hazy shade of grey, early morning mist rolling out on the street. Seungmin rubs his eyes and grabs his phone. 5:48. 

The tapping returns and Seungmin’s anxiety spikes. Cautiously, he grabs the prop sword he bought a few years ago from a convention and points it towards the window along with the light from his phone torch. 

Staring back at him is a blood streaked face, familiar as his own. Hyunjin’s eyes are wide and imploring, his hands clinging to the windowsill. Seungmin drops the sword onto his bed and rushes to the window. He opens it as quietly as he can before prying the protective screen out of the frame. 

“Hyunjin, what are you doing? It’s nearly 6am, and you’re all bloody. Get  _ in  _ here!” He pulls Hyunjin up by the armpits, though it’s hard to keep a good grip on him when coupling the still tacky blood soaking his clothes and the weakness of Seungmin’s arms. 

There’s nothing Seunmin wants to do more than to drag Hyunjin into a bath and scrub him clean of any and all blood that coats his body, so he does just that. He holds Hyunjin’s face for a second, rubbing the sticky blood from his cheekbones, before grabbing his hands gently and tugging him out of his room. There’s no one awake at this time, leaving the house eerily quiet. It doesn’t help the unsettling visage of Hyunjin with blood all over him.

Seungmin peels off the dirty clothes once they’re in the bathroom. He hadn’t noticed before, but there’s jagged holes in Hyunjin’s shirt. He searches Hyunjin’s chest for any injuries, but finds nothing. Hyunjin blinks down at him. 

Where Hyunjin is usually expressive and kind, Seungmin finds nothing but a blank and empty stare locked impassively on his face. Seungmin gestures to his belt. “Is this okay?” Hyunjin inclines his head a tiny bit. 

Hesitantly, Seungmin undoes his belt and tugs down his jeans. Hyunjin steps out of them. Seungmin leaves his boxers on, figuring it’s be best to leave both of them at least something. Seungmin’s heart is beating a million miles an hour. 

He turns the shower tap, waiting for the water to be on just the right side of warm. He pushes Hyunjin in, his friend offering no resistance. Hyunjin does nothing but stand under the water unblinkingly. 

Concerned, Seungmin reaches into the shower to feel Hyunjin’s forehead. A cold hand shoots out to grab his wrist, tugging him under the water too. He’s too shocked to even be bothered about his clothes getting soaked. 

Hyunjin doesn’t say anything, but also doesn’t let go of Seungmin’s wrist. “Hey,” Seungmin says quietly, barely audible over the water. “Let me go.” 

Hyunjin shakes his head. He guides Seungmin’s hand to his head. Indulgently, but still with an undercurrent of worry and stress, Seungmin pets Hyunjins wet hair. Hyunjin’s icy demeanor starts to melt away at the contact. When Seungmin takes his hand away to lather up some shampoo, Hyunjin looks panicked. 

“Shh, I’m just going to wash the blood from your hair, don’t worry.” True to his word, Seungmin almost immediately brings his hands back to Hyunjin’s hair. The lather quickly becomes pink and then a dark red as Seungmin scrubs his hands through the sticky strands. It takes a few minutes, but the water finally runs clear. Next, Seungmin starts on the soap, gently washing away the blood from Hyunjin’s chest and arms. 

Hyunjin’s body keeps relaxing more as Seungmin keeps going, until his head is resting on Seungmin’s clothed shoulder. As Seungmin scrubs away, he keeps looking for the source of all the blood. After a few minutes, Seungmin can hear a door opening and closing and cringes. 

There’s a knock at the door that makes Hyunjin flinch and stiffen up. “Seungmin? Is that you, honey?” His mother’s voice is just audible over the running water. 

He puts his finger against his lips to make sure Hyunjin stays quiet. “Yeah,” He calls back to her. “I woke up feeling sick. Sorry if I woke you up.” The first thing that comes to mind as an excuse for the shower being on isn’t the strongest, but Seungmin hopes it’ll be enough to waive any suspicion she might have. 

“Are you able to go to school today? If not, that’s okay,” He’s mildly surprised by her being so willing to let him have the day off. Seungmin must be quiet for too long, because she sounds concerned when she speaks again. “Let me know when you’re done.”

Hyunjin slumps again when she’s gone. He still hasn’t spoken a word since he entered the house. There’s an increasing level of worry rising in Seungmin’s heart. Hyunjin is never this quiet for this long unless he’s asleep. 

The water finally runs totally clear, so Seungmin turns the shower off. His clothes stick to his skin uncomfortably, and he’s grateful it’s summer, because he’s only wearing a t-shirt and shorts. It would be a million times more uncomfortable if he was wearing heavier pajamas.

He pulls Hyunjin out of the shower and dries him off with a spare towel from under the sink. Hyunjin bends down slightly when Seungmin reaches up to dry his hair. 

Seungmin is hit with the realisation that he didn’t bring any spare clothes in. He swears quietly. “Stay here, don’t leave. I’ll be right back, okay?” Nothing changes on Hyunjin’s face, so Seungmin assumes he’ll be fine. 

He slips out of the room, trailing water as he goes. He should have peeled off his shirt and wrapped a towel around himself, but whatever. He dashes into his room and rats around his drawers for some spare clothes he knows Hyunjin has left in the past. He grabs some clothes for himself too. 

He sticks his head over the stairway rail on his way back to the bathroom. “I think I’ll stay home today.” It’s just a Friday, and he knows he doesn’t have anything important happening in any classes today. It’ll be fine to miss just one day.

“Okay, sweetie!” His mom calls back. He nods resolutely before heading back into the bathroom. His phone says 6:45am. His mother should be leaving for work in the next few minutes, so he doesn’t worry much. 

When he opens the door, he finds Hyunjin slumped on the ground, head buried in his arms.

“Hyunjin?” Seungmin can’t help but notice just how flawless his skin is, how glossy his hair looks after being washed. How pretty his shoulders look despite the unflattering light. There’s something vaguely inhuman about how he manages to look good no matter what. 

Seungmin places a hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. Hyunjin’s hand comes up to circle his wrist, squeezing almost painfully. He lets go quickly, before Seungmin can say anything. 

When Hyunjin looks up, something catches Seungmin’s eye, red dripping down from his eye. “You’re bleeding,” He reaches out to touch Hyunjin’s face. Hyunjin’s eyes brighten. “Get up so I can clean that up.” He wants to panic; to yell and fret and maybe have a bit of a breakdown, but staying calm is the only way he can think of to help Hyunjin.

Hyunjin rises from the floor obediently. Seungmin sits him on the edge of the bathtub, pushing down on his shoulders. He hears the door shut downstairs.

Silently, Seungmin wets a cloth and start wiping the blood away. His hands shake as he presses on. The cloth is quickly stained red. There’s more blood than Seungmin thought there would be, especially coming from Hyunjin’s eye. His left hand starts to feel sticky; when he glances at it, he sees that blood has started leaking from the corners of Hyunjin’s mouth and has started to drip down to where Seungmin’s hand holds his jaw. 

“What the fuck?” He whispers. His eyes widen when Hyunjin pushes him down to the floor, cloth dropping onto the tiles and leaving an ugly smudge of blood.

Hyunjin grins, too big and too manic for his face, eyes bright in a way that makes Seungmin scrabble away. His hands struggle to find purchase on the tiles; he slips and hits his head, a resounding crack filling the room. 

“Are you scared?” The tone that Hyunjin uses with him is mocking. It hurts to hear that from his best friend. “Poor baby. Suck it up.” He lunges at Seungmin, blood streaming from his widened eyes and his mouth twisted into a demented smile. Seungmin shrieks in fear. He’s never felt anything like this before - a fear that squeezes his heart like a vice, holding him captive, rendering him incapable of doing anything, let alone defending himself.

He rolls away from Hyunjin just in time to avoid his claws -  _ claws!  _ \- going right into his chest. Instead they just graze his arm, making blood drip sluggishly down to his elbow. Horror dawns on him as he realises Hyunjin isn’t going to stop any time soon. 

Is it lucky that his parents are at work, or is it just going to lead to Seungmin ending up dead on his bathroom floor?

His head aches. His arm stings. The pervasively metallic scent of blood makes his brain feel foggy, his emotions echoing and feeling wrong. He feels too big for his body but too small to exist.

This is Hyunjin; the boy who carried him home from the park 7 blocks away from his house because Seungmin sprained his ankle while climbing a tree. The boy who comforted Seungmin after the sporty boys tricked him into thinking one of them liked him, then broke his heart. 

Seeing him unhinged, feral, so utterly unlike himself is the worst thing Seungmin can possibly think of. Hyunjin has always been such a constant that this - this wrongness is so disgusting. 

Hyunjin has cornered him against the wall and the bathtub, his neck pressing into the edge of the bathtub. The nausea persists, his stomach rolling as he watches Hyunjin’s face change into a wide sneer. His teeth have elongated and sharpened into fangs, his tongue forking and eyes going a bright red. That tongue slips out to lap at the blood dripping down Seungmin’s arm.

Desperate and disgusted, Seungmin kicks out at Hyunjin, only to have his ankle grabbed and yanked. His head hits the edge of the bathtub, and the last thing he sees before spots cover his vision is Hyunjin leering down at him.

-

When Seungmin comes to, his whole body aches, throbbing with pain and discomfort unlike anything he’s ever felt before in his life. His arm and leg hurt more than any other part of his body. His hand comes away smeared with blood when he touches his leg. 

Getting up is a chore. He slips on the blood covering the floor a few times before he can stand on shaky legs. Mindlessly, he drags himself into the shower. He peels off his bloody clothes and sits on the cold floor, scalding water beating down on his shoulders. His wounds sting when the water touches them, but he can't bring himself to care at all. With a shudder, he curls up on the floor instead. The water runs as red as when…

As when he was helping Hyunjin. He doesn’t even know how long ago that was. It could have been hours. The blood on him wasn’t completely dry, so maybe it wasn’t much time at all. 

With glassy eyes, he looks out at the bathroom. The floor is covered in puddles of blood. Seungmin balks at the thought of having to clean it all up. His chest feels heavy - he wants to cry, actually. Tears prickle at his eyes.

Was it a bad idea to get in the shower now when he still needs to scrub at the floor? Probably. His critical thinking is mildly impaired at the moment, though, so he just lets himself lay for a while. 

His mind wanders to where Hyunjin is now, but his breathing picks up after a moment so he redirects his thoughts to other things to calm down. When his mind is clear, he turns the shower off and steps out. 

Wrapping the towel around his waist, Seungmin tries to take stock of his current situation. His best friend attacked him, and somehow grew claws at some point. Hyunjin was bleeding from his eyes and mouth, and spat blood all over Seungmin’s bathroom, and yet he didn't seem affected at all by losing so much blood. Hyunjin is now somewhere that Seungmin doesn’t know.

He doesn’t particularly want to face Hyunjin right now, even if he’s worried. The fear of being attacked again is too fresh, too real. The wounds on his limbs are still bleeding sluggishly, reminders of the horrible leering and scratching from Hyunjin’s claws.

The clothes he placed on the sink ledge are soaked with blood, unwearable. He drags himself out of the bathroom, avoiding the blood puddles, into his bedroom. The sun is high in the sky, casting a warm light into Seungmin’s room. 

It feels wrong for the weather to be so nice after the awful morning Seungmin has had to endure. More cosmic mockery, Seungmin supposes, tugging some old and ratty clothes out of his drawers.

He trudges back to the bathroom. He feels unwilling to clean up this disaster, but he doesn’t want to have to answer any questions about why exactly the bathroom looks like the scene of a massacre. 

-

For the next three days, Seungmin avoids answering any of the messages Hyunjin sends him. His Katalk home screen is just his literature group chat discussing the novel they’re analysing, Jeongin pestering him about studying and getting hotpot, and Hyunjin’s name with a sad little  _ 13  _ next to it. 

It’s petty, and maybe a little mean, for Seungmin to do this. Not even listening to Hyunjin, embodying a brick wall, unyielding. But Seungmin thinks back to how he felt on Thursday, how it felt to have Hyunjin’s hot breath on his face and his claws in his shoulder, and he can’t help but shudder. 

Instead, he just buries his head in his part of the literature assignment and tries not to think about anything.

-

When he sees Hyunjin standing by their lockers, Seungmin’s heart stops for a moment. He feels like spitting blood, panicked at the prospect of being near Hyunjin after what happened on Friday. He’d been ignoring every message Hyunjin sent him over the weekend, and seeing the guy now just makes Seungmin feels sick. 

It had taken hours to scrub away all the blood Hyunjin had spat onto the floor. Seungmin can still feel the claws passing through his skin. His leg aches where a chunk of it was clawed out of his calf, and his arm stings where his uniform is rubbing against it. 

Not much thought goes into his actions. Seungmin turns around and leave the corridor. His brain feels like it’s going to rupture if he has to talk to Hyunjin after everything that happened. 

Thankfully, his first class on Monday isn’t one he shares with Hyunjin, so he just speed walks to the classroom and waits for the first bell to ring. A few people greet him as he leans against the bag rack, someone even asking why isn’t with Hyunjin. He didn't think that anyone would care about whether or not he stuck close by Hyunjin, but clearly he was wrong. People really need to get their priorities straight.

The morning seems to pass in a blur, leaving Seungmin feeling stranded in his own head. Before he can really process anything, it’s first break. 

He makes sure Hyunjin isn’t in the vicinity before walking to Jeongin’s classroom. He pokes his head in, searching until he sees Jeongin sitting with a few kids. 

Some of the juniors greet him as he walks through the room, though he doesn’t really offer anything but polite nods back. “Jeongin,” He places a hand on Jeongin’s shoulder. When his friend looks up, Seungmin smiles thinly. “What are you doing this afternoon?” 

“Nothing other than homework, why?” If Jeongin is surprised to see him alone, he doesn’t say anything. 

“I… need to talk to you about something. Can we do homework at your house?” Seungmin watches Jeongin’s face contort before settling. 

“Okay! But you’re buying ice-cream on the way home.” 

Seungmin honestly should have expected to hear something like that. He just sighs before ruffling Jeongin’s hair. “Fine. I’ll meet you at your locker after classes finish, okay?”

With Jeongin’s confirmation, Seungmin leaves the classroom. Now he just has to make it through the day, avoiding Hyunjin.

-

“I think Hyunjin is possessed.” 

“What?” Jeongin stares at Seungmin incredulously. “ _ What _ ?” 

Seungmin presses his fingers to his temples. “No, listen. I’m serious.” 

The two of them are sitting in Jeongin’s bedroom, sprawled across Jeongin’s bed with their homework thrown on his desk. Jeongin pokes him with a socked foot. “I don’t believe you.” 

“Would I joke about this?” Seungmin asks. 

Jeongin scratches his neck, looking anywhere but at Seungmin. “Probably not. But, maybe Hyunjin is rubbing off on you…?” 

“Shut up, You know I wouldn’t.” He kicks the younger. “Anyway, listen to me.” Seungmin explains the happenings from last week, only leaving some things out. Mostly the embarrassing ones that would 100% expose his massive crush on Hyunjin. Jeongin alternates between staring at him and the ceiling.

He’s silent when Seungmin finishes. He opens his mouth before closing it again. “Did you really spend five hours mopping up blood from the bathroom floor?” 

“Are you seriously focusing on that?” 

“Well,” He blinks. “Yes. The rest is a bit out there, so I think I need some time to process all of this. How did you deal with spending five hours scrubbing and leaning? That’s disgusting.” 

After flicking his forehead, Seungmin just sighs and turns to his laptop. “You’re disgusting. Just because you don’t mind wallowing in filth and wretched mess doesn’t mean everyone does. I’m going to figure out what is possessing Hyunjin, and I’m gonna exorcise it.” 

A few minutes pass with nothing but quiet music playing before Jeongin speaks up again. “You know, there’s a kid in your grade who’s really into the supernatural. His name’s Felix, he’s in the music club with me. You should talk to him if you want any information on demons and ghosts and shit.” 

Seungmin hums, contemplative. Maybe he will. 

-

“Lee Felix. What do you know about demons?” Seungmin sits in front of Felix at lunch, huffing a bit from the strain of running away from Hyunjin. 

Felix jolts up, staring at Seungmin with big eyes. “I’m sorry, what? Who are you?” 

“Kim Seungmin, we share chemistry together. Nice to meet you. What do you know about demons?” He stares expectantly at the other student. 

“I… know some things. Why?” 

“My best friend is possessed.” The look he gets from Felix is disbelieving. Seungmin can’t say he wouldn’t feel the same, if some stranger from his class came and asked him the same question and told him the same thing. 

He’s tempted to plead with Felix. Beg a little, maybe degrade himself so that Felix feels a bit of pity and decides to humour him. His pride is too much for that, though, so he decides to just stare at the guy unflinchingly.

Felix glances behind Seungmin. “Is this another prank from Minhyuk?” 

Eyebrows raised, Seungmin leans over the table a but more. “No. Do you think I look like the kind of guy to pull a prank like this? I’d be much more cunning.” He pulls a face but keeps looking at Felix. “I swear it’s really not a prank. I’m serious.” 

After a second of quiet, Felix shrugs and smiles genially. “Okay, so your friend is possessed. Tell me more.” 

“So, this all happened last week…” 

-

Seungmin finds himself sequestered in Felix’s bedroom that afternoon, books strewn around on the bed and the floor. Felix has a startling amount of research on demons and the supernatural in his bedroom. 

When he’d pulled out several notebooks and tomes of varying ages, Seungmin couldn’t help but be shocked. “My family has been learning about this kind of thing for years.” Was the only explanation he’d provided. Seungmin shouldn’t be one to question things like this, given his current situation, so despite his shock he just nodded along. 

This is how he finds himself sprawled on Felix’s floor, head stuck in a book about soul switching and dimension hopping. How are the two even  _ related enough  _ to be in the same book? Seungmin is baffled. 

Felix pushes another book onto Seungmin’s pile absently. Seungmin looks at him, mouth twisted. “Thanks, I hate it.” 

“Hey, man, I’m just giving you the easier books.” Felix shrugs and drops some more chips into his mouth. He flips the page of his book with greasy fingertips. 

If he considers the tomes Seungmin is flicking through the  _ easier books _ , then Seungmin thinks it might be a good idea to shut up and keep flicking through the pages. 

The book he holds is a mess of different sets of handwriting, busy sketches, convoluted charts and a lot of mysterious stains. All of the books he’s picked up from Felix’s family have been this way; messy and chaotic but insanely detailed and catalogued. It’s actually pretty easy to find what he wants to find, even if he has to take a while to figure out all of the information on the pages. 

Seungmin sighs. “I don’t think his soul has been switched. He’s still Hyunjin, from what I’ve seen…” Not that he’s seen much. The now familiar guilt fills Seungmin’s chest, heavy and uncomfortable. “I should talk to him and see how he acts, right? To find out more about what’s happening.” 

“Probably.” Felix nods. “I get why you wouldn’t want to, though. I mean, he  _ did  _ attack you.” There’s a frown on his face. Seungmin thinks that it doesn’t suit him at all. 

Shifting uncomfortably, Seungmin cracks his neck and pulls another book into his lap. “I need to think about it.”

They leave it at that.

-

When Seungmin slips into his usual seat next to Hyunjin when they next have class together, he feels like squirming and leaving. Hyunjin trains a confused look on him, brows furrowed and mouth set weirdly. 

Seungmin avoids making direct eye contact. The class passes painfully slowly. Hyunjin keeps glancing at him throughout the hour, frowning between writing down notes. When the bell rings, Seungmin shoots out of his seat and tries to leave as quickly as he can, but an iron grip on his sleeve stops him from going all that far. 

It’s obviously Hyunjin. Who else could it possibly be? Seungmin resigns himself to actually having to deal with this immediately, instead of easing into the way things were. 

Really, he doesn’t quite know why he thought he could just let things slip back into their old routine. He did avoid Hyunjin for a week, ignoring his messages and any other attempts to talk to him, like an asshole. 

“You don’t get to just walk away without any explanation, Kim Seungmin.” Hyunjin keeps a grip on Seungmin’s sleeve as he hauls ass somewhere. Seungmin doesn’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse that their last class was right before lunch. 

Seungmin thinks his face is stuck in a permanent grimace as Hyunjin drags him down halls. He finds himself looking at Hyunjin a bit more closely, eyes trailing along his unusually gaunt cheeks and sunken eyes. His skin is pale in a sickly way; none of his usual glow is present. He looks tired, in a way Seungmin hasn’t ever seen. Even his hair looks lifeless and greasy. 

Before long, Seungmin finds himself tucked into a corner of the library, sitting across from Hyunjin. An awkward silence stretches between them, Hyunjin staring at Seungmin and Seungmin looking anywhere but at the boy who’s supposed to be his best friend.

Hyunjin inhales sharply, but exhales slowly. “Are you okay?” He asks, tapping idly on the table. 

“What?” Out of everything Hyunjin could have asked - Why did you ignore me? What did I do wrong? How dare you? What the fuck is wrong with you? - Seungmin really didn’t expect him to ask after Seungmin’s own well-being. He doesn’t really  _ deserve _ the question. He could have dealt with anger, or indignance, or sadness. But the tenderness? Guilt and remorse come back in full force. He shouldn’t be surprised. Hyunjin has always been caring, and lovely, especially towards Seungmin and his family. But after the week Seungmin has put him through… 

“I said, are you okay? What’s been happening this week?” His hand makes an aborted motion. A movement as if he’d gone to reach out to Seungmin , but rethought the action. Seungmin doesn’t blame him. 

“I… Aren’t you angry?” Seungmin scratches at the already peeling vinyl of the tabletop. 

Hyunjin hums. “Of course I’m angry. You never gave me any responses about anything I sent you, and you ran away from me every time I tried to come near you, and that really hurt. It sucked. It sucks, still.” Seungmin winces. “But mostly, it’s anger born from worry.” His voice is quiet. 

“You understand why I avoided you though, right?” Seungmin shifts uncomfortably. 

“No? You never explained.” Frustration colours Hyunjin’s voice. 

Seungmin squints at him, looking at him properly in the eyes for the first time since they sat down. “Seriously? You don’t think that showing up at my window at 6 in the morning on a Friday, covered in blood, making me clean you up and then attacking me is enough of a reason to avoid you?” 

“What are you talking about?” Hyunjin looks offended, and mildly horrified, but mostly confused at the accusations. “Are you having nightmares again?” 

He frowns. Seungmin stopped having nightmares years ago, just before they went into highschool. “No. I didn't imagine you attacking me, Hyunjin. I have photos of the blood spattered bathroom. I have wounds from it.” 

Hyunjin squirms in his seat, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “What?” He finally says, voice quiet. 

Maybe… maybe he doesn’t remember what happened. Seungmin finds it hard to believe that anyone could forget doing what Hyunjin did, but he’s somehow willing to give Hyunjin the benefit of the doubt. He reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone, opening the photos app up and scrolling back a few days. 

His stomach drops as he pushes the phone across the table. Hyunjin reaches for it, hesitance colouring every movement. As he scrolls past a couple of photos, his face pales; he looks almost translucent in the watery light of the library. Seungmin finds it hard to look at him, feeling sick and unsettled as the seconds pass. 

“I don’t…” Hyunjin inhales sharply. “Is this a sick joke?” 

“Are you kidding me? Why would I make jokes like this?” If Seungmin were a cat, his hackles would be raised. 

Hyunjin’s shoulders hunch. He slides the phone back over to Seungmin, who snatches it back and slips it back into his pocket. Seungmin fiddles with his tie, trying not to let himself feel angry or betrayed by Hyunjin thinking he would joke like this. As if he’d go so far as to cover his own bathroom with fake blood, or something. 

Despite the current… situation, the sight of Hyunjin hunching down and making himself as small as possible while avoiding eye contact tugs at Seungmin’s heart. He wants to wrap Hyunjin up in a hug and apologise for ever making him feel like he needs to hide. All the times they’ve cried together come to mind - he really hates seeing Hyunjin sad. 

He sighs. “Listen. What’s going on with you? Can I ask you that?” Seungmin shuts his eyes, tugging on his hair. He wants to bring up the whole possession thing - because he’s absolutely sure that’s the case - but maybe Hyunjin won’t take that well. 

“I don’t know,” Hyunjin says quietly. “This week has been weird.” His eyes skirt over Seungmin’s. By no means is Seungmin used to Hyunjin being so reticent when it comes to him. This conversation feels like pulling water from a rock - impossible. 

“What do you  _ mean  _ weird?” Seungmin toys with the idea of moving closer to Hyunjin, but decides against it. “I’m trying to, like, understand.” 

A smile flickers across Hyunjin’s face before disappearing just as quickly. Seungmin isn’t even sure it really happened. He misses Hyunjin’s smile. “I haven’t… felt like myself.” Seungmin leans forward. “Chunks of time are missing from my memory. It’s weird as hell. I keep wanting to… hurt people.” The last part is whispered, drenched in guilt.

Seungmin feels sick. “Did this start after the 3Racha concert?” 

A sharp breath. “Yeah,” Hyunjin wrings his hands. “I woke up at home, the Friday after. I can’t remember anything from after I left with them.” 

“Oh.” Seungmin frowns. Before he can continue, he’s cut off by the bell signalling the end of their break. “Fuck, okay, well… I think I know a way for us to fix this. Meet me at the gates after school, okay? We’ll figure this out.” He heaves himself up from the chair, stumbling slightly when his foot gets caught on the chair leg. 

Hyunjin’s hand shoots out to steady him, a familiar touch making Seungmin go boneless. He hadn’t realised how untouched he’d gone in the past days. Jeongin always squirms away when Seungmin comes for him, and he doesn’t know Felix well enough for them to have any physical contact, his family are never around to touch… Hyunjin has really been his only form of physical affection for a long time. 

Awkwardly, Seungmin inches away and offers a strained smile. “Promise you’ll be at the gates?” 

All Hyunjin does is nod before Seungmin hightails it out of there.

-

Seungmin tugs on Felix’s sleeve when he sees him at his locker. Felix turns to him with a smile, hand shoved into his bag. “Did you talk to him?” He turns back to putting his books away. 

Thinking back to Hyunjin actually dragging him to the library, Seungmin shudders. “Yeah,” His feet tap on the floor. He adjusts his backpack strap. “I may have told him to meet me at the gates. So we can tell him what we know.”

“Is he even safe to be around?” Felix looks concerned. It’s an odd expression on a usually smiling face.

“Well… I guess? He didn't attack me today, he hasn’t hurt anyone as far as I know all week… He also looked pretty sick when I was with him, so who knows.” Thinking of how hollowed out Hyunjin had looked makes something in Seungmin’s chest crumble. 

The pair of them walk out of the building together, comparing the things they’d read after parting last night. Seungmin is in the middle of a very passionate rant when he catches sight of Hyunjin. His words die in his throat when he sees how much more run down he looks compared to a couple of hours ago. 

He’s leaning against the pillars, eyes half shut, hands gripping his bag straps loosely. He seems to be breathing quite shallowly. As Seungmin looks at him, he inhales sharply and winces. Seungmin looks at Felix. “So dangerous.” Felix nudges him with his elbow, smiling faintly. 

“Hyunjin?” The boy in question startles when Seungmin calls his name, relaxing and shooting him a strained smile when he sees it’s just Seungmin. He gestures to Felix standing next to him. “This is Lee Felix. We’re going to his house to… study, if you want to come…” 

Felix raises an eyebrow at Seungmin’s description of what they usually do at his house. Seungmin shrugs helplessly. 

“Sure, I’ll come with.” Seungmin is both surprised and not at Hyunjin’s quick agreement. He doesn’t really know why he expected Hyunjin to be reluctant. 

The three of them make their way out of the school gates, walking towards the train station. Felix chatters as they walk; Seungmin is glad he’s around. He thinks the whole walk would be terribly awkward if it was just Seungmin and Hyunjin.

The train ride is quiet. Felix sits on his phone, Hyunjin drifts off into a fitful nap and Seungmin sits stiff as a board in between them. He feels tense, ready to bolt at any moment for some reason he can’t really explain. Maybe it’s being stuck in a metal tube with Hyunjin, maybe it’s just anxiety. He isn’t sure, but he hates it regardless of the reason.

The walk from the train station to Felix’s apartment is filled with Felix’s talking again, but with Hyunjin joining in more, and Seungmin nodding along. It’s mostly about mundane things - schoolwork, cartoons, anecdotes about Felix’s friends. 

When they get into the apartment, some of Seungmin’s jittery energy dissipates. The wards that the Lee’s have set up around the house are bound to protect them from anything Hyunjin might do. Or anything the (probable) demon possessing Hyunjin might try to do.

“My mom isn’t home today. Are you guys hungry?” Felix shucks his shoes off in the foyer, chucking his bag next to the door. Seungmin follows suit. Hyunjin shuffles awkwardly before slipping out of his shoes too. 

Seungmin moves forward through the house with ease, slipping into the kitchen and grabbing an apple from the fridge. Felix rummages around in the pantry. “Uh, Hyunjin? Do you want anything? Help yourself. It’s free real estate.” 

“Oh. Thank you,” Hyunjin smiles, but it’s wan. “If I’m hungry I’ll find something later.” 

Felix nods, but Seungmin frowns. “You’re always hungry.”

“Ah, I haven’t had much of an appetite recently…” He shuffles his feet. 

Seungmin shoots Felix a look. “When was the last time you were hungry?” 

“I’ve been hungry since… the weekend after the concert. But the idea of eating food makes me sick to my stomach.” It’s not hard to see that he’s frustrated, eyebrows furrowed and lips pressed into a flat line. “I was fine on the Friday after, but after that, any food was just disgusting to think about.” 

The Friday after the concert… that’s when he’d attacked Seungmin. If Seungmin remembers correctly, Hyunjin had consumed some of his blood. Who knows what he did after Seungmin passed out, too. It’s likely, from what Seungmin knows about demons and possession, that Hyunjin needs blood or something to survive. 

“What if…” He takes a bite out of his apple to stall. After swallowing, he cracks every possible joint in his body. “Okay. What if we told you we thought you were possessed? By a demon?” 

Hyunjin blinks at him. “I’d wonder how you figured that out.” 

“Are you saying you  _ knew _ ?” 

“No!” Clearly he’s lying. Seungmin fixes him with a dead eyed look. “Ugh, yes. I knew.” 

Seungmin makes a strangled sound. Tugging at his own hair, he turns to Felix. “Okay. How do we exorcise demons?” 

“It’s not  _ easy _ , seriously. We have to wait for the new moon, which isn’t for another couple of weeks.” Felix looks pensive. “Actually, that’s probably good for us. That means we have time to get the other things we need for the ritual.” 

A sense of foreboding creeps up on Seungmin. “What kind of other things?” 

Felix laughs nervously. “Well…”

\- 

Seungmin is on the verge of having a stroke. His life, in the past month, has gone to absolute shit. In fact, he has a list of things that have been going wrong.

  1. His literature group has decided to do absolutely no work, leaving him to pick up all the slack.
  2. He has barely any time to read the novel for literature, because he tutors students in his spare time. 
  3. His chemistry grade has dropped.
  4. He’s grounded for staying out past curfew accidentally. 
  5. His best friend is still possessed by a demon. 
  6. Jeongin keeps bleeding his bank account dry with the amount of ice-cream he cons out of Seungmin.
  7. Felix has been on patrolling duty the past week, so he can’t help Seungmin and Hyunjin collect the things they need for the ritual. 

And, the icing on the cake:

  1. Hyunjin gets sicker every day.

He’s stopped coming to school, given just how sickly he’s gotten. Seungmin knows this because they’ve gone back to normal - mostly. Seungmin still flinches when Hyunjin does certain things that are too reminiscent for the night he attacked Seungmin, but they’re working through it! Really! 

Seungmin just… can’t forget how it felt to have Hyunjin leering and slashing at him. The wounds on his arm and leg are still raised and tender, despite no longer being open. He probably should have gone to a doctor to get stitches, but how in the hell would he explain them to a doctor, let alone his parents? No thanks. 

“Listen, I’m just saying, I think that Mo Dao Zu Shi is better than Scum Villain. It's well written, and the relationship between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian is funkier than Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu.” Hyunjin shoves a handful of chips into his mouth. 

“I see where you’re coming from, but seriously, Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe are just superior. Like-” Seungmin is interrupted by Felix clearing his throat. 

“First of all, Heaven Official’s Blessing is the best. 800 years of pining is unbeatable. Second of all, can we get back on track?” The happy smile doesn’t leave his face, but Seungmin can tell his patience is running thin. 

For a moment, Seungmin had forgotten about everything. About the hunt for ridiculous things for a stupid ritual that he shouldn’t even have to do. He’d been engrossed in a conversation about novels with his best friend, and everything was okay for a little while. 

The reality crushes something in his chest. 

“Back on track, back on track,” Hyunjin hums. “What’s next? Those blood candles?” 

“Yeah! Yeah. I was sure we had some at home, but when I looked I couldn’t find any. My mom said she had to use the last of them last week and didn’t have any time to go get some new ones. So we get to go get them instead!” Felix grins brightly in Hyunjin’s direction. For some reason, Seungmin’s stomach twists unpleasantly at that. 

Felix drags them into the train station. He’s got a grip on Hyunjin’s hand. Seungmin decides he shouldn’t think about it if he values his sanity. 

They board the Seoul bound train. Seungmin fidgets with his backpack straps nervously, wanting to pull out his Switch or his phone but knowing his attention span won’t last long enough to do anything on either. 

The train ride will take at least an hour and a half, so he leans back and just stares out the window. He can hear Hyunjin and Felix talking next to him, mindless chatter about anything and everything. When they go through a tunnel, he can see them leaning close to each other in the reflection.

He feels kind of sick. 

He doesn’t really want to think about the implications of these feelings, so he slips his headphones in and flicks through any and all apps on his phone just for a distraction. Safe to say, he doesn’t talk for the rest of the train ride. 

\- 

Seoul is… a lot, compared to their little town. Seungmin has only been in the city for an hour, but he already wants to leave. There are so many people, bustling and pushing and yelling, that it makes his head hurt. 

Hyunjin and Felix stick close to him, though Felix walks slightly ahead. Seungmin sees Hyunjin stare at the back of his head every now and then. He steadily ignores that when it happens. 

As they flit from street to street behind Felix, Hyunjin gets simultaneously more jittery and more subdued. Seungmin tries not to worry, but it’s hard. Felix pulls them into various little stores, leaving them to browse around while he whispers to clerks and ducks into back rooms. 

By the time they sun has started setting, Hyunjin has stopped talking completely, retreating into silence and his hoodie. 

Seungmin frets silently. 

“We’ll head to the station soon, there’s just one more thing I need to get for us.” Felix grins at them as he leads them down a back street. Neon lights start flickering to life the longer they walk down the street. The shifting colours highlight the horrible gauntness of Hyunjin’s cheeks. 

“Stay here, I’ll be right back!” Felix disappears into a door before Seungmin or Hyunjin can protest. 

Seungmin sighs. Okay. He spots a set of chairs next to the door Felix went into. Looking at them, the ache in his legs becomes more pronounced. “Hyunjin, let’s sit down.” He reaches out to touch Hyunjin’s shoulder. 

Before his hand can get close, Hyunjin knocks it away with a snarl. Seungmin flinches away. “Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Hyunjin waves his hands guiltily. His eyes are shiny, mouth in a quivering line. 

“It’s okay,” Seungmin swallows down the fear that clawed its way up his throat. “Let’s sit?” 

Hyunjin slumps down into one of the chairs. Seungmin joins him, clutching his backpack to his chest. He’s shivering a little bit in his t-shirt and shorts. Despite it being summer, the nights are cool, leaving Seungmin to feel foolish for not packing a hoodie like Hyunjin did. 

Time ticks by slowly. In his periphery, Seungmin can see Hyunjin glancing around feverishly. It sets him on edge. 

When Felix comes bouncing out - he’s really full of boundless energy - Seungmin sighs in relief. Being left alone with Hyunjin filled the air with some unexplainable tension. 

Seungmin slides up next to Felix, seeking the comfort of another friend after the weird moments with Hyunjin. It takes a few moments until they both realise that Hyunjin isn’t following them. Seungmin looks back to see Hyunjin staring at them blankly form a few metres back, eyes glowing a sickly red. His arms are hanging, though his fingers are flexing to an odd rhythm. 

The breath leaves Seungmin’s lungs like it’s been yanked out - he feels like he’s been gutted. It’s the same look that Hyunjin had that night; as Seungmin stares at him, blood starts to leak from his mouth. Said mouth stretches into a sick caricature of a smile. 

“Fuck,” Seungmin wheezes. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Felix, Felix, he’s going to go fucking sicko mode - can you make the exorcism work without the new moon?” 

He drags Felix away from Hyunjin slowly. Felix rummages through his bag. “I don’t know! I don’t think so!” 

“Oh fuck,” Seungmin can tell the moment Hyunjin snaps. His arms tense up and he lunges in their direction at an unnatural speed. Seungmin yanks Felix out of the way, chest heaving. Felix seems perfectly calm - Seungmin envies him. “Better find a solution sooner than later, Felix!” 

In a moment of complete insanity, Seungmin pushes Felix as far away as he can before bolting towards Hyunjin. He feels like the possessed one - not in control of his own body in any way. He wants to high tail it away, but instead he runs towards Hyunjin and his sharp teeth. 

Hyunjin’s hands reach out to him, claws catching on his side. Seungmin hisses as the skin rips. He can feel the warm blood flowing down his side. His slash is way deeper than any damage Hyunjin did last time. 

“Snap out of it, asshole!” Seungmin tries to grab onto Hyunjin’s arm, but he spins away with a speed that makes Seungmin want to have a stroke. He watches Hyunjin lick the blood -  _ his  _ blood - from his claws. His eyes glow even brighter. “Felix!” He yells.

“ _ I’m trying! _ ” Felix screeches back. Hyunjin head snaps towards Felix. Swearing under his breath, Seungmin lunges at Hyunjin. Somehow, he manages to catch the hem of his hoodie and force him back. 

Hands scrabbles at his, raking over his knuckles and ripping at his wrists. The tender underside is spared, but the stinging is really unpleasant. 

With a frustrated yell, Seungmin tugs harder on the hoodie. Just before it rips, he loops his arms around Hyunjin’s waist and clings like he’s never clinged onto anything before. 

His eyes widen as Hyunjin wriggles around, snarling and hissing. “Let me fucking go!” The voice that leave Hyunjin’s mouth isn’t his own - it’s gravelly and awful, sounding like rocks grating on metal. The demon. “Fucking bug of a mortal.” 

The demon reaches around Seungmin in a weird kind of hug before sinking his claws into Seungmin’s back and raking through the flesh. Seungmin screams as he does it over and over again, slashing and destroying his back. He can feel the blood soaking into his jeans. He doesn’t let go. 

“We have to kill him!” Felix yells, panicked. 

Through the screaming pain, Seungmin feels his stomach twist. “No! I’m not gonna kill Hyunjin just to get rid of this fucking demon!” 

“It’s your only  _ option _ !” 

The demon snarls again, jerking away from Seungmin finally. Seungmin staggers into a wall before he forces himself to straighten up. He can see Felix and the demon circling each other, Felix holding a fucking sword of all things. Jesus christ. 

Everything seems to slow down as Seungmin watches Felix take a deep breath. Panic takes hold of Seungmin’s heart; if Felix skewers his best friend, no matter how possessed, what the fuck is Seungmin meant to do then? How is he meant to deal with having to watch Hyunjin die? 

The world narrows down to a pinpoint. Seungmin’s eyes lock onto the sword. Before he even makes the decision to move, his feet are hitting the ground at a sprint. 

He leaps at Hyunjin, putting all his weight into pushing him to the ground. It rips his wounds even wider, but at this point he doesn’t even care. His brain is just a litany of  ** _save Hyunjin save Hyunjin save Hyunjin save Hyunjin save Hyunjin save Hyunjin save Hyunjin save Hyunjin_ ** . 

Felix’s sword slashes the ground next to them. Seungmin feels more than hears Hyunjin’s head hit the ground. When he blinks down at the body under him, Hyunjin’s eyes are back to normal and full of panic. “What the fuck, what the fuck, what the  _ fuck _ ,” He chants. 

He doesn’t even have any time to feel relief before the red glow returns to his eyes. “ ** _GET LOST!_ ** ” The demon roars - he screams and thrashes under Seungmin. Seungmin is easily dislodged and thrown to the hard ground. 

His back meets coarse pavement and he sees stars. His vision blacks out for a moment. His breathing is laboured - he thinks he might have punctured a fucking lung or something. 

Through bleary eyes, he sees Hyunjin swipe at Felix and draw blood from his chest. The two of them move like fire and water - the demon is harsh and unpredictable, while Felix moves with grace and smoothness. 

Seungmin drags himself away from the middle of the alley and curls up against the wall. His back protests and leaks more disgusting blood as he aggravates it. His mind wanders, to old memories of childhood. 

He thinks of sitting in parks with Hyunjin; sharing playlists in their rooms late at night, eating dinner with Hyunjin’s family. He thinks of sitting in the library with Jeongin, and even getting snacks from 7/11 with Felix over the last few weeks. 

He wonders, absently, what it would have been like if they had met earlier. Would they have been a trio, doing things together? Would they have gone to the 3Racha concert together and avoided all this demon business happening, or would they have just stayed home and watched movies that night? 

Seungmin feels nostalgic for things that never even happened. He aches for things that could have happened, in another universe. Or maybe that’s just the horrifying pain radiating from his back. Really, his mind is hazy, a messy jumble of feelings and thoughts and pain and  _ Hyunjin Hyunjin Hyunjin Hyunjin Hyunjin Hyunjin _ . 

He wishes he was curled up in bed with Hyunjin, and that all of this was a really awful dream. He wants to wake up. Breathing hurts - thinking hurts. 

This is Seungmin’s life: his best friend is amazing. He’s kind, and talented, and the light of Seungmin’s life. His best friend is possessed by a demon. He attacked Seungmin - twice! - and left him bleeding on the floor both times. Despite this, Seungmin can’t bring himself to resent anything about Hyunjin. Hyunjin means everything to him - more than his parents, probably. More than the songs he sings. More than the rain he loves. More than anything.

This is also Seungmin’s life: he’s only the pavement, in a pool of his own blood, hearing the sounds of his best friend screeching at his new friend at an ungodly pitch. He hears the sounds of metal hitting bone. His vision is blurry, everything a smudge of neon and black.

He thinks he sees a bright flash, hears a snarl, but his head feels stuffed with cotton balls. Brain turned to mush. Nothing processes properly. 

Red splashes along the wall - dead eyes staring into his. 

With a sickening lurch of his stomach, Seungmin realises that they’re Hyunjin’s eyes. 

He shuts his own, lungs heaving before everything stops. 

It’s finally quiet. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! any comments are appreciated :3
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/shibecafes) for ramblings and memes, and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/nezha) for prompts or anything!!!


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